STATESBORO, Ga. - When the Georgia Southern softball squad travels to No. 12 South Carolina on Wednesday for a midweek clash, more is on the line than just a simple non-conference contest between two teams placed near the top of the RPI rankings.
On the field, South Carolina (30-6) is looking to avenge a loss to the Eagles (21-13) in the last matchup between the two teams, a 6-4 Eagle win on April 19, 2016. The Gamecocks had won the previous 39 meetings between the two teams, and this will be the third nationally ranked team that Georgia Southern plays this season - after already facing fellow SEC foes Florida and Georgia.
Off the field, however, the meeting now has added incentive for either team to win. Country music superstar Cole Swindell (@coleswindell), a Georgia Southern alum, was challenged to a wager with Country Music Television (CMT) host Cody Alan (@cmtcody), a South Carolina alum. During the March 24th episode of the CMT Hot 20 Countdown, the challenge was issued - if Georgia Southern wins the softball game, Cody Alan will have to don Eagle gear and sing the Georgia Southern fight song on air. If South Carolina wins, Cole Swindell will have to don South Carolina gear and sing the Gamecock fight song.
Watch the video of the challenge here.
Georgia Southern is coming off of a Sun Belt Conference sweep at the hands of preseason favorite Texas State over the Easter weekend. The Eagles still hit three home runs in the series, maintaining their school-record pace of 0.97 home runs per game. Six different Eagles now have hit four or more home runs this season, led by
Hannah Farrell's eight and
Macy Coleman's six.
South Carolina had a slight letdown, dropping two of three at Texas A&M, after recording a historic sweep of Tennessee the week previously. The Gamecocks are led offensively by Mackenzie Boesel, who is hitting a team-leading .374 with 11 doubles, four home runs and 30 RBI.
The game will be
broadcast on the SEC Network Plus, which is only available online.
Live stats will also be provided of the matchup.
